An Author Interview Podcast

YWTB! Victoria Hislop

Hello and welcome to You Wrote The Book, a book based podcast hosted by Simon Savidge. Each fortnight over the coming months he will be joined by a special guest author to discuss their life as a writer and as a reader, from the current novel they have published to the first book they read and everything in between.

Simon’s guest for this episode is Victoria Hislop whose debut novel The Island, became a huge hit and best seller holding onto the top spot for 8 weeks and selling over two million copies worldwide, also spawning a miniseries in Greece. The Island was followed up with two more number one best sellers, The Return and The Thread as well as ashort story collection The Last Dance and Other Stories. Now Victoria returns with The Sunrise, a tale set in the town of Famagusta, when it was at the peak of its tourist trade and Savvas and Aphroditi have just built The Sunrise the most glamorous and desire hotel on the island of Cyprus. However things are soon to change as Cyprus is an island at war with itself as Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots still struggle post war to settle and conflict looks like it is brewing. We follow Savvas and Aphroditi, and two families both under their employment, whose heritage is from both parts of Cyprus, as the troubles begin and soon change everything. Simon spoke to Victoria about The Sunrise; the history of Cyprus, the research and how to write conflict neutrally. They also discuss the success of The Island and rather unusually hairdressing and hairdressers.

Over the next few episodes Simon will be joined by David Nicholls, Neel Mukherjee many more. If you have any questions for the authors, would like to suggest authors you think Simon should be getting on the show, or simply want to have a natter about books, you can email youwrotethebook@gmail.com or find us on twitter @youwrotethebook.

If you want to hear Simon talking more books do join him every other week with Thomas Otto on The Readers Podcast, you can also find him chatting and reviewing book on his blog Savidge Reads. Don’t forget to subscribe to the podcast on iTunes where you can find previous episodes with Christos Tsiolkas, Evie Wyld, Alan Bradley, Niccolo Ammaniti, Armistead Maupin, Emma Donoghue, Joanne Harris, Patrick Ness, Damian Barr, Kamila Shamsie, Maggie O’Farrell and many more.